Bulgarian reissue?

Does this butt serial seem consistent with Bulgarian/Balkan reissue? A bolt-mismatch only S/42 rifle. No other markings, acceptance birds nearly invisible on the stock, well used rifle but with a very good bore. Doesn't seem to fit Yugo scrape and vomit rebuild or Russian Recycle Rubbish (The 3 R's...or Third Reich? )

I know the Yugoslavians numbered their stocks in that fashion. Not overly familiar with Bulgarian rifles, but all of the other Balkan imported K98k's I've seen from back in the 1990's had no added numbers to the stocks. In any case, if the number is not matching the rifle, a re-used stock from somewhere.

I know the Yugoslavians numbered their stocks in that fashion. Not overly familiar with Bulgarian rifles, but all of the other Balkan imported K98k's I've seen from back in the 1990's had no added numbers to the stocks. In any case, if the number is not matching the rifle, a re-used stock from somewhere.

Stock is original to rifle (keel serial, channel and buttplate). This rack (?) number matches nothing else.

It is reminiscent of Vz24 serials, and I have seen Bulgarian stocks sold separately on eBay marked similarly.

Interesting. I've never seen a 5-digit rack number before. Might it be a Australian veteran service ID number for a bringback? I have seen such various service ID numbers, or Social Security numbers stamped, or etched on the metal of brinbacks before here in the USA as a form of ownership ID.

It may be that the Bulgarians added the rifle s/n to the buttstock on the K98k's they had. Other countries certainly did. However in your rifles case, the number seems to be not connected to the rifle in any obvious way, since the internal stock # matches the original rifle s/n. Rack numbers can also be found, but are usually only 2 or 3 digits. It may remain a mystery!